Overview
- The incident occurred around 9 a.m. during a morning Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica and was filmed by visitors in view of hundreds of worshippers and tourists.
- Plainclothes officers and the Vatican Gendarmerie intervened within moments, and the man was detained and placed at the disposal of Italian authorities, according to spokesman Matteo Bruni.
- Italian outlets reported that Pope Leo XIV was informed and described as shocked by the desecration of the Altar of the Confession.
- Il Fatto Quotidiano reported the Pope directed a reparatory penitential rite to be held as soon as possible, consistent with provisions in Canon Law and the Ceremonial of Bishops.
- Officials and media accounts say the suspect is believed to have a serious mental-health condition, while his identity and any potential charges have not been confirmed; the episode follows a February altar vandalism case and a 2023 protest.